Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
by masterrevan51
Summary: When Brendan moved from Johto to Hoenn, he didn't expect to wind up taking the Gym Challenge. He didn't expect to see things and pokemon most trainers never dreamed of. And he definitely didn't expect to become a hero. He was just a guy in the right place at the right time, with potential. Novelization of the recent Alpha Sapphire game.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys. I'm masterrevan51, and this is my first story. It's a novelization of Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, with my own flairs. I know flamers are out there, and I want them to know that I have quite a few Lv100 pokemon to deal with them. As for anyone else who wants to criticize my story, I'd like suggestions on how to improve it, and I want people to know that I don't have a Beta reader. So, here we are.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any subsidies. This is just my own story.

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire: Birth of a Legend

He was in a black room. He could make out hints of boxes in the darkness. It was an unusual ro- **WHUMP**. A particularly rough bump threw his head backwards, slamming it into the box behind him. It was the third time it had happened, and again he bit his tongue against some of the nastier swears he had learned in the weeks he had spent on the ship coming here. The last time mom had caught him saying one of those words… he shivered. No. Better to suffer in silence, at least until he was away from here. Wherever here happened to be. As he thought that, the door slowly opened upwards, as he squinted and winced in response to the light. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up, seeing the enormous figure of the Machoke standing before him. He gave a weak grin.

"Right. I'll be going now," he said, slipping by the large pokemon and dropping from the moving van down onto the grass. As he rose, he looked around.

He was in a small town, with only a few buildings, the largest being a stark white building in the southwestern part of the town. A sign by the entrance proclaimed "Welcome to Littleroot!" He snorted. Littleroot was right. This place was tiny. As he moved out of the shadow of the van, more people were able to see his appearance. He wore a black and red jacket currently unzipped to show the white shirt underneath, a pair of shorts more fitting for the current weather, and an odd white hat, which looked like his hair. His eyes gleamed a deep red; a red any jewelry expert would say was the color of rubies.

"Brendan!" The voice made him turn, and he saw his mother walk out of the house closest to him. She was a tall brunette, with a pink shirt and brown skirt descending below her knees. She smiled at him, and continued, "I'm so sorry. It must have been tiring riding in the back of the moving van with all our things. Come in, and see your new home!" She turned, leading him into the house.

As he entered, he saw the table being swiftly assembled by a Machoke, while another Machoke was stocking the kitchen cabinets with tableware. His mother, Caroline, smiled and gestured to them.

"Using pokemon to move is so convenient. Isn't it wonderful to have everything packed away so easily?" Not waiting for him to answer, she pointed towards the stairs at the back of the building.

"Your room's the second one on the right upstairs. Go! Check it out." With that, she gave him a push towards the stairs, and he moved quickly up them to avoid any more pushing. It was normal for her to start pushing whenever she didn't think he was moving fast enough.

He rose to the second floor, seeing three doors, two on the right, one on the left. He opened the second door, and entered, seeing that the mover's pokemon had already put his room together. It was a fairly simple room, with his bed in the corner farthest from the door, his desk and wardrobe on the corner between them, and his bookshelves and Snorlax pokedoll in the last corner. He moved towards it, sitting himself down on the pokedoll, which moved like a beanbag chair. Normally he wouldn't have gotten something like this, but it was comfortable to read in, and he had won it at one of Goldenrod City's many festivals a couple years ago. He looked at the bookshelves, and sighed. The Machoke had put his books in all out of order. He hummed at that. He hadn't finished the last of the books he had gotten in Olivine City before leaving Johto, so he still had some reading material.

He slowly rose, sighing as he did. Then he noticed the clock and map on the wall next to each other. He slowly rose and took a look at the clock. It had fresh batteries, but it wasn't set. He quickly pulled it off the wall and began turning it until it fit the time on the pocket watch his grandfather had gotten him. There, 10:45. As he put the clock back up, he took a look at the map on the wall. It was a map of the Hoenn region. He moved towards it, trying to pinpoint Littleroot. Ah, there. It looked as if the closest towns were Oldale, and Petalburg City, where his father probably was right now.

' _Hmph._ _Couldn't even take time to greet his own family_.' He rarely saw his father, as the man had been busy for years. In fact, the last time he had seen the man for more than a few hours every week or so was at his eleventh birthday, and that had been over a year ago.

He sighed, and turned away from the map. No point getting all worked up about that again. He frowned. It looked as if Petalburg was the closest actual city. If he wanted to get new books, then he'd need to find a way to get there. Wait. His mother had said something about a friend of his father's living in Littleroot, and being the local professor. Maybe he could-

"Brendan! Brendan! Come! Come quick!" At his mother's voice, he immediately spun, running out of the room that was now his, and scrambling down the stairs. His mother was at the tv- 'Ugh, stupid thing. Why couldn't more people appreciate books?'- And gesticulating wildly.

"Brendan! Look! It's a report on Petalburg Gym! Maybe your father's on!" Brendan quickly slid over to the tv, just in time to catch the reporter saying, "This was Carrie Simpson, in front of Petalburg Gym," before it went to the weather. He sighed, and slowly turned to his mother. She was frowning now, and there was a shadow of sadness in her eyes. Brendan split his face into a false smile, and spoke quickly.

"Well, looks like we just missed him. But I'm sure he'll be coming home soon."

The assurance seemed to work, as Caroline shook herself, and smiled wearily, before she clapped her hands, her face lighting up in remembrance.

"Oh! I just remembered. Your father has a friend that lives here in Littleroot. His name is Professor Birch."

Brendan nodded. So that was the name of dad's friend. But there was an odd note to her voice. "And?"

"And he has a family with a child your age," Caroline continued, oblivious to the distress growing in her son's eyes at her words. "Why don't you go over and introduce yourself?"

"Ok," he replied, resigning himself to the inevitable. He turned, and walked towards the door. Then he turned back, and asked, "Which house is theirs?"

His mother smiled sweetly, as alarm bells screamed in his head. Caroline walked over, opening the door and pushing him through it. "Well, I guess you'll have to ask around and see what house it is?"

Brendan's stomach dropped, as he spun towards the rapidly closing door. "Wait, wha-" Click. The door was shut. His shoulders slumped. He shouldn't have agreed to even one of her requests to meet someone. That _always_ led to him meeting more people than he wanted to. He sighed, and turned away from the door.

The town was a relatively small one, with only a few buildings. He sighed, and slowly walked over to the closest one, silently praying to Arceus that it was the correct one. He raised his hand and knocked softly on the door. After a few moments, it opened, and he saw a woman about the age of his mother looking at him.

She frowned, before her face cleared up. "Oh! You must be one of the new neighbors! I did hear they had a child about your age. What's your name?"

Brendan ducked his head, before muttering out, "I'm Brendan."

The woman seemed to be oblivious to his discomfort, however, and smiled brightly. "We have a daughter about your age. She's upstairs in her room. Why don't you go introduce yourself?" She gestured for him to enter, smiling all the while. "Her room is the second door on the right. Go on."

Brendan sighed, before slowly walking through the room, and up the stairs to the second floor. It seemed to be laid out the opposite to his new house, with her room being on the right. He knocked on her door, and waited.

"Come in!"

Slowly, with the sense of going to his doom, Brendan opened the door. It seemed to be an ordinary room, if somewhat more feminine than his own, and without the enormous plush. He turned, and saw a female figure sitting at a desk, scrolling down a laptop screen. She looked up, then suddenly, much faster than he would have thought, scrambled to her feet, which gave him a better angle to examine her from.

She was a bit on the shorter side, not the tallest of girls, and she was wearing a pair of black shorts, red and yellow sneakers, a red tank top, and a red ribbon, which circled around her head. She had brown hair, with two protruding sections at the side, and soft blue eyes, which reminded him of sapphires he had seen in jewelry stores. Then Brendan's eyes wandered downwards.

' _What the heck?! How is she twelve? What does she feed those things?!'_ Due to his love of literature, and his preference for being alone, Brendan had gained something of a limited, focused perspective of women. As a result, he often found himself caught off guard by his hormones, especially when he was around pretty girls.

* * *

Fortunately for Brendan, she was caught up looking at him, and therefore didn't notice the direction his eyes went. May noticed that he was on the thin side, due to the open jacket that hung loosely from his frame, but he was surprisingly tall. ' _Why does everyone have to be so tall?_ ' she mentally whined. His eyes were red, something that caught her interest as she looked at his face, which was narrow, and gaunt, which made her wonder at his age. May then looked at his hair. ' _I-is his hair white?! OhmiArceus! It's just like Hitsugaya's from Bleach! Wait… oh, it's a hat. He has brown hair. Still. Maybe he'll be that smart and girly best friend of the protagonist?'_

Her final decision was that he looked alright. Even if he was way too thin.

* * *

Brendan finally managed to jerk his eyes away from her chest, and looked up at her face. She was gazing at him intently, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. Trying to get her to stop looking at him, he coughed somewhat awkwardly. Instantly her eyes snapped to his face, and his mouth went dry.

"Um, hi."

She was looking oddly at him, now. Maybe he'd better keep going, before he lost his nerve and bolted.

"Ah, I'm Brendan. I just moved in next door, Ms. …" he trailed off as he realized he didn't know her name.

* * *

' _Ms.! He called me Ms.! Oh! What if he's the shy type, the one who others ignore, but is always kind and polite! Just like Hinata and Hanataro!'_ May blushed as she thought of the type of character she enjoyed just below the tsundere type. Then she blushed again as she realized that he was looking at her expectantly, but nervously.

"Oh! I'm May, May Birch. I heard that someone my age was moving next door, so I was hoping we would be friends. I have this dream of being friends with pokemon all over the world." And now she was blabbering on to someone she had just met, when the word 'pokemon' reminded her of something.

* * *

He was still absorbing her rush of words, so Brendan was startled when she suddenly gasped, and spun towards her desk.

"Oh no! I promised I'd help dad with his fieldwork!"

The girl he now knew as May shut her laptop, stuffed it in a backpack, grabbed a pokeball and clipped it to her waist, and put her backpack on, running past him to the door before turning and saying, "Sorry, gotta go. Nice meeting you, Brendan!" and was out the door before he could respond.

Brendan blinked, before slowly walking out the room, closing the door, and walking out of the house where that unusual family lived. He decided he'd walk around for a while. If he went back home now, his mother would push him right back out after she heard his story, and decided he had made it up. He admitted to himself that he probably would have tried to make a story up after he went to the first or second house. Despite being a good storyteller, he was a terrible liar.

He was heading to look around the outskirts of the town when he saw a young boy standing at the edge of the path through the tree line with wide eyes. The boy turned to him, and ran over before Brendan could turn around.

"Iheardsomescreamingandthere'ssomeoneouttherebutIcan'tgobecauseIdon'thavepokemonandyou'rebiggercanyoulookitsoundsreallyscarybutwhatifsomeone's hurt!"

The spew of words from the boy made Brendan stop and blink, but as soon as he realized what the boy had said, he groaned inwardly. Someone would have to go out, and, looking around, he saw that there wasn't anyone else close enough to help.

He looked down at the boy and spoke quickly, moving towards the forest as he did so. "I'll go see what's going on, go find a trainer." When the boy was just standing there Brendan pointed towards the town and shouted "Go!"

He saw the boy turn and take off, before quickly walking into the forest. The path was well worn with the treads of many feet, but still grassy underneath. He continued forward, slowing so he wouldn't be caught off guard. The words of Jeong Jeong, one of his few friends back in Goldenrod City, sounded through his mind. " _Corners are dangerous. They let both you and the enemy catch the one coming around them off guard. By that same token, if you are careful and slow in maneuvering around corners, you can catch them by surprise."_

"Help! Somebody help!"

The words made Brendan speed up, stopping just in front of the clearing before peeking around the closest tree. He blinked at what he saw. It was a brown-haired bearded man, on the burlier side, running from a canine pokemon that reminded Brendan of a Houndour with more fur. The man scrambled up into a tree, hanging by the lowest branch as the pokemon lunged to try and bite him. Then the man turned and saw Brendan, and waved, pointing at a bag on the ground, obviously forgotten in his fright.

"Hello! You there! I need some help! In my bag, there's a pokeball!"

Brendan ran towards the bag, all previous caution forgotten as he saw the man's grip slipping. He pulled the bag open, saw two pokeballs, and reached for the closest one, pulling it out and pressing it to expand it, just as he had seen his father do, so many times before. His arm came back, then forward, as the orb was flung high. "Come on out!"

The moment the pokeball reached the height of its arc, it opened, releasing a white light of energy. The energy soon solidified into a blue pokemon, with two orange protrusions on the side of its head, and two fins, one on the top of its head, and the other a tail. The pokemon inhaled as it saw the canine in front of it, which turned to face the new threat, and let out a loud challenge. "MUDKIP!"

Brendan caught the pokeball as he stared at the blue pokemon, Mudkip, in surprise. He had done reading from books he had found on the ship to Hoenn, in order to preserve his own, and one of them had been a book on the three pokemon that professors and Nurse Joys gave out as beginner pokemon in Hoenn. The three starters, as they were known, were Treecko, the Grass type, Torchic, the Fire type, and the Water type in front of him, Mudkip. This was good. It meant that Brendan would be able to command it without trying to figure out what moves Mudkip could use. According to the book, a young Mudkip knew- ' _Ah! Here it comes!'_

During his internal monologue, the canine had stopped waiting, and charged at Mudkip as its body glowed slightly, signaling a Tackle attack. "Dodge it!" Brendan cried, having seen what even such a basic attack could do. He needn't have worried. Mudkip leapt away from the attack before turning to face the canine again, looking back at Brendan for instructions. The look gave him the jolt he needed to remember Mudkip's early moveset. "Tackle!" He ordered. The blue pokemon turned towards the canine as it slowed to turn, before lunging, its own body glowing with the Tackle. This time, the strike was a direct hit, sending the canine sliding away, before it regained its feet. Then it suddenly accelerated, using Tackle on Mudkip before either human or pokemon could react. Mudkip screeched as it was flung from its position, before rising back to its feet.

Brendan breathed a sigh of relief as Mudkip rose. He was really worried. It was his first battle as a trainer, and he wasn't confident in his ability to win. But he did know something that would help, and he immediately acted on it. "Water Gun!" He commanded, guessing that as the canine seemed to be a Dark type, it wouldn't know any long range attacks, as most Dark type long range moves were only learned at higher levels.

Mudkip responded instantly, opening its mouth to release a torrent of water, blasting the canine back. The canine rose on shaky legs, but still moved forwards. "Again! Finish it!" Brendan shouted. Mudkip complied, and the third and final attack caused the canine to collapse, its eyes swirling in the well-known sign of a KO. Brendan stared at the pokemon for a long moment, before jumping and yelling "Yeah! We did it!"

"You sure did." The man had climbed down from his perch, and was walking towards him and Mudkip. "Thanks for the help there. I'm Professor Birch."

Brendan started, and guiltily looked at the pokeball as he returned the Mudkip to it. "Oh, uh, then, I guess this is yours." He held the pokeball out to the professor, but Birch simply picked up his bag before squinting at him.

"Ah! I thought I recognized you. You're Brendan, Norman's boy." The professor grinned as he turned and started walking back to Littleroot. "This isn't a good place to talk, so let's go back to my lab."

* * *

Evan Birch looked at the son of his best friend. The boy was thin, and quite gaunt. If he didn't know Norman and Caroline better, he would have thought that the youth was underfed. But it looked as if the boy simply moved around quite a bit, which was surprising, considering the shy child who had hidden behind the books which obscured his entire head that Evan had last met. But the shyness didn't seem to have faded, as Brendan was looking around at the lab, and then at his feet, while still holding the pokeball awkwardly in his left hand. The odd color of his eyes was reminiscent of Norman's mother, who Evan remembered as a quiet woman, but who had been a strong woman and a strong Trainer nonetheless. He gestured towards the pokeball.

"Well, that battle was quite impressive, for a novice. You seem to be your father's son." Odd. The boy gave a slight flinch when Evan mentioned Norman. ' _Hm. Perhaps his home life isn't as happy as I would have thought.'_ It was something to talk about next time he saw Caroline or Norman, but that had nothing to do with the current topic.

"I was thinking on the way back here, and I noted how you worked well with Mudkip. Because of this I decided… that I want you to keep him."

* * *

Brendan had been looking at the clean laboratory, with Professor Birch's two assistants working on the equipment off to the side, before looking down at his shoes. He had listened to Professor Birch's words, but only in a half-interested manner, before the full import of the man's words hit him. Brendan's head jerked up, and he stared at the man in shock as his mouth dropped open.

"R-really?" He asked, his heart rising up to his throat. He had always adored Water types, and Mudkip had attracted him when he read about it. But this was too good to be true. "Do you really mean it?"

Birch laughed, and waved a hand. "Of course I do. You're at the age to be a trainer, anyways. Besides, I don't doubt Mudkip's already bonded with you."

Brendan felt his heart soar at the professor's words, and he looked down at the pokeball again, which no longer felt awkward in his hand. Then he noticed the professor holding something out.

"Here's a potion. It'll restore his health from any damage he took from that Poochyena."

Brendan took the potion and released Mudkip before filing the name of that canine away. The Mud Fish Pokemon responded happily both to the potion and his caresses. Brendan took the chance to broach the subject of their newfound bond.

"Hey, Mudkip. Ah, do you want to come with me?" He asked nervously. After all, the Mudkip might not actually like him. But his fears proved unfounded as Mudkip happily cried out "Mudkip!" and jumped into his arms. Brendan happily hugged the blue pokemon, as a smile slowly spread across his face. "Alright!"

Birch smiled down at the two, before a thought occurred to him. "Brendan, why don't you give Mudkip here a nickname? Something that'll make him unique."

Brendan blinked as he put Mudkip down, looking at him. "Um, alright Mudkip, how about… Susanoo?"

The pokemon seemed to think about it, before shaking side to side. "Mud!"

"No? Ok, ah, how about Poseidon?"

This time the pokemon didn't even think about it before shaking in the negative again.

Brendan frowned, before another idea came to mind. "How about… Neptune?"

Mudkip thought for a long moment, before smiling, and lifting a foreleg in approval. "Mudkip!"

"Alright, Neptune!" Brendan cheered before hugging the now-named Neptune again.

Birch smiled at them as Brendan stood up, still holding Neptune in his arms. Then he remembered something. "Brendan, that route we were on earlier, that was Route 101. My daughter May's out on Route 103. She's started as a Trainer recently as well, but she's been helping with my research for quite a while. Why don't you go out and see her? It'll give you a preview of a Trainer's life while I take care of your registration."

Brendan remembered the cute and swiftly speaking girl, and blushed slightly, before nodding. He would like to see more of Hoenn, and it probably wasn't too far, as Birch felt comfortable sending him while he was dealing with registration. "Alright. See you later, Professor." With that, he turned and walked out of the lab, before letting the squirming Neptune down. "Sorry for not putting you down earlier, Neptune."

The pokemon huffed slightly, before smiling, and turning to look around at the new world he found himself in. Brendan pointed towards Route 101 in the distance, and said, "We're heading that way, Neptune. We're starting our journey together."

The twosome walked through the town and towards the Route, passing the little boy from earlier, who waved at them as they passed. Brendan waved back, remembering how the boy had come running with a man who looked like him while Brendan and Professor Birch were on their way back to the lab. Birch had assuaged their concerns, laughing the incident off. Now Brendan and Neptune stood in front of Route 101, staring out towards the land, and the town Brendan could see in the distance. He licked his lips. "Well, Neptune. Let's go."

* * *

 **And there's the first chapter. Updates will come along, but they will be slow. Life gets in the way, or I might not feel like writing. Please, read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, first story, and I've already got a few reviews. I'm going to start by replying to them, to start off.**

 **DisneyWriter: I wanted Brendan to be unique in terms of a protagonist, and I thought of one who didn't want anything to do with it. I didn't do that to Wally because that doesn't really fit him for me. Wally's reclusive by necessity, Brendan's reclusive by choice. And I will be fixing that * Break * in future chapters.**

 **rylek196: I understand where you're coming from with Brendan seeming bland, and I hope this and future chapters will fix that for you. I'm sorry if more of May was shown than Brendan, but I felt somewhat more rushed with her, as Brendan has more time to be introduced in detail. Detail I am getting in to.**

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. At all.

Route 101 was a relatively short one, with only a couple of people there. Neither were interested in battling, which was good, because Brendan saw multiple pokeballs on their belts. The first one was quite happy to explain that pokemon would come out of the grass to attack people, but that was a rare occasion, as most preferred to stay in the taller grass, unless they were more aggressive than not. The other, when Brendan gazed in confusion at the red Bug pokemon, named it as a Wurmple. It wasn't a total loss, though, as Brendan was able to recognize the brown Normal type Zigzagoon, mainly because his father had one.

Brendan and Neptune did battle a few wild pokemon before they reached the next town, which increased both Neptune's ability and Brendan's confidence. There were a few rough spots, though they worked out in the end.

As they entered the town, two hours later, Brendan noticed the sign saying "Oldale Town." He looked around. It was smaller than Littleroot, and he noticed that most of the people he saw were elderly. However, there were the distinctive red and blue roofs of the Pokemon Center and Pokemart. Seeing that, Brendan turned and walked towards the Pokemon Center. He had returned Neptune in order to give him some rest, and now he saw a chance to heal him. The glass doors opened as he approached, and Brendan entered to see the inside of the Center. It was small, but was a two story building. There was a PC over in the right corner, a small table across from it, and a window to order food from between them. In the center of the back was a Nurse Joy standing behind the counter, with her ever faithful Chansey standing next to her. Brendan could see a door behind them, and guessed it was for more serious cases. He walked towards the counter, looking up at the nurse before blushing slightly. She was pretty. He shook his head, before speaking up.

"Um, hi. I'd uh, like to have my pokemon healed, please?"

The nurse looked up from a newspaper she was reading, and smiled at him before replying. "Hello. I hope you're having a good day." She held out a hand. "Is there anything unusual or serious about this case?"

Brendan shook his head. "He's just tired, and a bit beaten up." He hesitantly put the pokeball into Joy's hand, before watching anxiously as she turned and placed it into a machine before switching it on, as a light enveloped the pokeball. After a few minutes, she removed it and handed it back to him.

"Your pokemon is fully recovered." She smiled at him. "Have a good day."

Brendan nodded, before turning to the window. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it had been a long day. He slowly walked towards it, waiting as it moved forward, until he was at the front. The older woman behind smiled as he fumbled with his order, until he finally managed to ask for a grilled cheese and a bowl of pokemon food. She smiled at him as she handed his order over. "Have a nice day, dearie."

Brendan coughed awkwardly as he placed the plate and the bowl down, before releasing Neptune to eat. The two enjoyed their meal, and returned the dishes before leaving the Center. As they left, a man wearing an apron walked up to him, smiling. Before Brendan could turn and run, as he always felt inclined to, the man had reached him, and immediately launched into a spiel about Pokemarts. It wasn't all bad, as it ended with him getting a potion from the man, but Brendan turned and walked out of town as quickly as possible, walking towards the area he hoped was Route 103.

Route 103, he hoped, was more open than Route 101. He only saw the same three species of pokemon that he had before, though. It only took an hour to traverse this route, and he noticed that it was a dead end, although he sat at the shore of a large lake while Neptune swam around. After an hour of that, he moved on. After more walking, Brendan saw a head of brown hair bent over in the longer grass of the route. He slowly walked over, before hesitantly calling out "May?"

Immediately, the head came up. May stared at him for a moment, before smiling, and waving. "Hey, Brendan!"

She stood and waved at him, smiling as she did so. Then she noticed the pokeball at his waist. "Oh! My father gave you a pokemon." She grinned.

Brendan looked down, and smiled nervously. "Yeah. It was a surprise, to be honest."

She nodded, before her face lit up. "Hey! Why don't we battle?"

Brendan blinked, then felt his stomach fall to his feet. "Battle?"

"Yeah! Since we're both new trainers, we'll both have an even shot!" The excitement in May's voice was obvious, and if Brendan was being honest with himself, he wanted to see what battles were like, after seeing so many on tv and seeing his father battle.

"Well, alright." His hand unclipped the pokeball from his belt, and he took a few steps back to give their pokemon room. May took a few steps back, grinning all the while.

"Ok, since I'm the challenger, I have to send out my pokemon first." She called. Then she expanded the pokeball in her hand, pulled back, and threw. "Go, Zoro!"

A light burst forth from the pokeball, and solidified into a green pokemon. "Treecko!"

Brendan winced. Treecko was a Grass type, so Neptune would have a disadvantage. But he did agree to battle, and he wouldn't back down just because of a type problem. He expanded his pokeball, and threw. "Let's go, Neptune!"

The blue pokemon solidified, and declared his presence. "Mudkip!"

The two pokemon faced each other, bending to prepare for battle. Brendan licked his lips. "Alright, Neptune. This is our first battle with a trainer, so lets try our best."

On the other side, May was grinning. "We're having a battle for the first time, Zoro! Let's get the ball rolling! Pound!"

Instantly, the Treecko accelerated, its tail glowing as it charged towards Neptune, crossing the distance between faster than Neptune or Brendan could stop it.

"Growl!" Brendan cried out desperately. Neptune was too slow to dodge it, slow his best bet was to try and mitigate the damage taken.

Neptune let out a threatening growl that made Zoro flinch, before it struck, sending Neptune sprawling.

"Get up! And use Tackle!" Brendan ordered. Neptune rose, and raced towards Zoro.

"Pound! Block it!" May commanded. The two attacks met in a clash, which held for a few moments, then the force pushed both back.

"Water Gun!" Brendan shouted. Neptune reared back, and fired a blast of water at the Treecko. Zoro was sent flying back, until it crashed painfully into the ground.

May actually _growled_ as Zoro got up, before glaring at Brendan. "Alright. That's how you want to play it? Zoro, Absorb!"

Zoro lifted its hands, and two green lights erupted from them, wrapping around Neptune, and draining his power.

"Neptune!" Brendan cried in panic. The super effective move was quickly taking a toll on the Water type, and he had to think fast. Then Brendan remembered the move that the Mudkip had learned on their way to Oldale Town.

"Neptune! Mud Slap, now!" It was a last throw of the dice, a desperate move, and it worked. Neptune managed to charge up, and fling mud at Zoro with his tail. The attack struck the Treecko right in its eyes, and it jerked back in pain and confusion. "Tree!?"

The attack dissipated, Neptune slumped, breathing deeply. May grit her teeth. "So, your pokemon has a new move too? Well, here's ours! Zoro, Quick Attack! Finish it!"

At its trainer's command, Zoro charged forwards, light enveloping it as it accelerated even faster than it had before. Brendan's eyes widened.

"Neptune! Combo Mud Slap and Water Gun, on the ground!"

May's head snapped towards him. "What?!"

Neptune obeyed, despite not knowing what his trainer was thinking. Mud and water coated the ground, and it soon grew to the consistency of slick mud. Zoro kept running, and hit the muddy ground at a full-on sprint, sending it sprawling and flipping head over heels, until it slid to a stop four feet from the mud.

"Zoro, get up!" May screamed, but it was too late.

"Now, Neptune, finish this! Tackle!" Brendan called. Neptune rushed towards the slowly rising Zoro, finally hitting it just as it finished rising, and sending it flying back another two feet. It fell, with eyes spinning in its sockets.

May rushed over to the Treecko, picking it up. "Zoro?" she asked worriedly. Zoro weakly rose, and smiled at its trainer. She sighed in relief. "You did good, Zoro. Return."

Brendan returned the slumped and panting Neptune, and slowly walked over to May. "Um, is Zoro going to be alright?"

May took a deep breath, then turned to him. "Yeah, he should be ok. He just needs to go to a Pokemon Center."

Brendan let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Well, Neptune could use one, too." Then he made a sheepish grin, and rubbed the back of his head. "I actually didn't think that would work."

May stared at him for so long that he stopped and looked at her. "What? Did I get mud on my face?"

May shook her head. "No." Then she smiled. "Come on. Race you to the Center!"

Brendan blinked for a moment as she ran off, back towards the town. Then he turned and ran after her. "Hey, wait up!"

* * *

The nurse smiled at them as she passed their pokeballs back. "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks!" May chirped, while Brendan smiled weakly. "Yeah, thank you."

The two walked out, with May giving a contemplative look at Brendan. Brendan looked back. "What? What's wrong?"

Then May grinned, and ran off. "See you at the lab!"

Brendan blinked for a moment, then slowly walked back to Littleroot.

* * *

"So, sounds as if the two of you had an interesting battle," Professor Birch mused.

May had told most of the story, and now she elbowed Brendan. "Ah-ah, yes. We did."

Birch nodded, then turned and walked over to a table in the back of the lab. "Well, first off, your registration's all dealt with Brendan. And second, I have something for the two of you." He looked down at the two red devices in his hand as he pocketed something else from the drawer.

He turned and walked back to them, holding the devices up. "These here are Pokedexes. A Pokedex records information of pokemon you both see and catch. They also function as your Trainer IDs." He separated them, and held them out. "And they're yours."

May instantly grabbed hers, squealing in excitement. "Eeeeee! Thank you daddy thank you!"

Brendan slowly took his, turning it over in his hands. "A Pokedex." Then he looked up. "Why are you giving these to us?"

Birch grinned at the both of them. "Well, that's the thing. Any data you obtain is useful for my research. I'm not asking you to do anything, just that you gather information on what you see."

Brendan looked down, and bit his lip, before looking back up, and holding the Pokedex out. "Then this would probably be a waste. I have no intentions of going anywhere, and this is sure to be expensive."

Birch waved a hand aside, pushing the Pokedex back to Brendan. "Keep it. Like I said, and information is helpful. You can record any thoughts you think might help, too." Then he snapped his fingers, and dug into the pocket of his lab coat, pulling out five pokeballs. "These are yours, May, and these," he reached in again, pulling out five more, "are yours, Brendan."

Brendan hesitantly accepted them as May squealed and began stuffing them in her bag. Then he looked down at the Pokedex. "Are you really-"

"Oh!" Birch smacked his forehead, then pulled out a data chip. "Take turns, and download this into your Pokedex. It's an app that allows you to see what pokemon are available on a route, and if you have all the pokemon you can find there."

First May, then Brendan took turns entering the data into their Pokedexes. Then Brendan looked up, and gave a weak smile. "Thanks, but I should probably head home. Mom will be expecting me."

Birch nodded. "Well, I expect I'll be seeing you around, Brendan."

May frowned for a moment, then grinned. "Ok! See you later, Brendan!"

"Bye." Brendan slowly walked out of the lab, then back to his new home. Upon entering he was immediately set upon by his mother.

"Brendan! Are you alright? Where were you?"

Brendan gave a guilty start as he realized how late it was, not having even noticed how dark it was outside. "Oh! Well, it's a long story…"

* * *

"Well!"

Caroline wasn't sure how she felt about these new events. On the one hand, Brendan had a pokemon now, which meant he could travel between towns without fear. On the other hand, he had also asserted that he had no intention or desire to travel. In a selfish way, she was glad of that, but on a wider level, she was sad. She remembered when he had been so young, declaring that he would go everywhere, and see everything. She remembered when he had wanted to be a trainer. Caroline wasn't sure what or when her son had changed, but she was saddened by it. She wanted Brendan to go out and live again.

"Well, at least you're safe." She smiled at him. He was clearly tired.

Brendan nodded. "Yeah."

Then Caroline clapped her hands, and began making sweeping motions. "You and your new pokemon are all fed, now off to bed with you. Go!"

Brendan quickly ducked beneath her sweeping hands, then slipped up to his room with Neptune. He climbed beneath the covers of his bed as Neptune jumped up and landed on the pillow, before curling up. Brendan stared at his pokemon, then at the Pokedex on his desk.

' _Mom… she doesn't want me to become like dad. He almost never comes home, or even calls. And I don't want to go out on some journey. I just want to read my books in peace and quiet.'_

Then he looked at Neptune again. _'But… in those battles, Neptune enjoyed those. He likes battling. And… so do I. But… I can't face mom and dad right now. Especially not dad. He'll just go on and on about how I'm following in his footsteps. I don't know what to do.'_

Brendan stayed awake for a very long time.

* * *

Morning came, and with it, breakfast, with its own surprise. "What?!"

Caroline nodded at her shocked son, beaming all the while. "That's right. Your father's coming!" Then her smile faded, somewhat. "It's only for a visit, and he'll be returning to the gym after a few hours, but it's something! Now," she continued as she began washing the breakfast dishes, not seeing the wide eyed look her son was giving her, "go clean up. You need it."

* * *

Brendan was pacing. Neptune had followed him for the first few passes, but now he was curled up to the side, watching him.

"I can't tell them. Mom won't like it, but she won't say that, and dad…" Brendan trailed off. He didn't want his father to know, didn't want his father to start talking about how proud he was that his son was following in his footsteps. That was the last thing Brendan wanted. He didn't want to be like his father, he didn't want to be like Norman. Brendan looked out his window. Route 101 was there, trees gently swaying in the breeze. He looked at his bookcase, and remembered Jeong Jeong's words. " _Those who can, do. Those who can't, read about what is done."_

Brendan turned, and opened one of his drawers. He pulled out two changes of clothes, a sleeping bag with pillow attached, and other necessities. He turned to his desk, walked over to it, and knelt down, packing everything. He put the pokeballs in a side pocket, and slipped his Pokedex into his pocket. He turned to Neptune. "Return."

As Brendan clipped Neptune's ball to his belt, he reached out and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on, and then zipping it up. As he did all this, he kept running the same mantra through his mind. ' _I'm just seeing what it's like. I'm just going to Petalburg, no further. Just Petalburg.'_

Brendan looked out the window, and his eyes widened. His father was walking out of the route. He tied the sheets together, and pulled his hat and backpack on. His father was walking towards the house. Brendan spun the sheet rope around the doorknob, and tied it off. His father had gone around the side. Brendan immediately shoved the window open, and threw the rope out to the side. He heard the door open, heard his mother's voice, but he was climbing out. Brendan landed, saw the route, and ran.

As he reached the safety of Route 101, Brendan turned back and watched the house. He licked his lips as he watched, and whispered, "just to Petalburg." He turned away from Littleroot, and walked onwards, towards Oldale Town.

Unknown to Brendan, it would be a very long time before he saw his house, or his mother, again.

* * *

 **So there's a few departures from game canon that I think fit more with Brendan as I'm making him, and his relationships. I won't be departing from canon too much, just where I think it will be more beneficial to the story overall. I hope you guys are seeing more of Brendan, and I hope you like what you see. If not, well, Swampert uses Ice Beam on flamers. See you all next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, third chapter already. First off, you guys who've been getting into my story are great, half the fun of a story is writing it, half is knowing people are reading it. So, I'm trying something different that may become a staple. The one who guesses what it is first wins a theoretical cookie.**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Or Robin Hood.

 _Hi, mom._

 _I'm in Oldale Town right now, so it shouldn't take long for this to reach you. I'm just going on a little trip right now, but I'll keep writing with updates when I can. Neptune's getting impatient, so I guess I'll end this now._

 _Love,_

 _Brendan_

Brendan stood at the entrance to Route 102. He was about to enter when he noticed a dejected man sitting next to it holding a crumpled piece of paper. "Um, are you alright?" He asked.

The man looked up. "I was sketching the footsteps of a rare pokemon at the entrance to this route, but," and here he started tearing up, "I was just sketching my own!"

Brendan stared at the man for a long time. "Um, well, I hope you have better luck next time."

He proceeded past the man, wondering how people got into those situations. He didn't go more than ten feet into the route before he began fighting trainers. The two he fought were pretty good, but May had been better. Brendan was about to keep going when he froze. There was a tail sticking out of the grass.

Brendan looked down at Neptune, then fished a pokeball out of his bag. He wondered what it would be like to catch a pokemon, rather than simply obtaining it, like he had with Neptune. The two slowly approached, slipping through the grass, until they reached the tail. Brendan pushed aside the grass, and was met with… a Zigzagoon blinking up at him. The two stared at each other, until Brendan finally lowered the pokeball. Then the Zigzagoon slipped up to his legs, rubbing up against them and curling around them happily. Brendan grinned. "Huh. You're a friendly little guy, aren't you?" He knelt down to pet the pokemon, when suddenly the smile on the Zigzagoon's face shifted to one of mischief.

Brendan blinked. The Zigzagoon was five feet away, Neptune had been bowled over in its rush to get away, and _his Pokedex was in the Zigzagoon's mouth!_

"H-hey! Give that back!" Brendan scrambled to his feet, and ran over to the Zigzagoon, which ducked away, running to the tree line. "Zagoon!"

"Come on, Neptune! We've gotta get my Pokedex back!" Trainer and pokemon both began running after the Normal type, which snickered and ran further into the trees in response. They chased Zigzagoon for several minutes, before both had to stop from lack of air.

"Mu…d…kip." Neptune sprawled on his stomach on the ground, while Brendan remained doubled over, panting in exhaustion. Then he sat down next to Neptune, keeping an eye on the Zigzagoon peeking out from behind the bush.

"What did dad say about Zigzagoons…" Brendan muttered. "Zigzagoons have Pickup for their ability… they always move in zigzags… they like shiny objects… that's it!"

He stood up, gesturing for Neptune to do the same, as he dug his hand into his pocket, and produced his pocket watch. He knelt, and showed it to Neptune, swinging it back and forth as he did so. "This was my grandfather's, Neptune. He gave it to me when I was little. Said I'd go farther with it than any other watch in the world. He died not long after."

Neptune sniffed, and rubbed his trainer's hand. "Mudkiiiiip."

Brendan smiled sadly down at him. "It's alright, Neptune. I still have the pocket watch, and I can remember what he used to say… Water Gun!"

All while he was speaking, the Zigzagoon had been creeping closer and closer, its eyes on the pocket watch. It was completely caught off guard when Neptune suddenly blasted it. It was sent sprawling back, dropping the Pokedex.

"There it is!" Brendan immediately bolted to it, grabbing it up, and stuffing both it and his pocket watch in his pockets. Then he turned to the Zigzagoon. "All this way… I think," he said, looking down at Neptune, "we should catch it."

"MudKIP!" Neptune bellowed, pumping his foreleg. Then he turned to Zigzagoon and crouched as it raced towards him, a purple aura enveloping it.

"Tackle!" Brendan ordered. He didn't like the look of that aura. The two met halfway, pushing back and forth, before separating. Then Zigzagoon suddenly spun, whirling its tail around as Neptune watched, before suddenly using Tackle, and sending Neptune sprawling. "Neptune! That was Tail Whip. Alright, let's try something different. Water Gun!"

Neptune immediately jumped up and opened his mouth, releasing a torrent of water at the incoming Zigzagoon, which was sent back again, eyes spinning. Brendan pulled a pokeball out, pulled back, and threw!

The pokeball hit Zigzagoon, and sucked it in, before dropping to the ground. There it lay, rocking… rocking… rocking… "Ding!"

Brendan stared at the pokeball for a long moment, before turning to Neptune. "Are you all right, Neptune?"

The Water type had a few bruises, one swelling in an ugly manner, but he looked up gamely and nodded. "Kip!"

Brendan knelt, and began caressing Neptune's head, smiling as the pokemon leaned into it. Then what he did sunk in, and a broad grin split his face. "Yeah! We caught a pokemon!"

* * *

"So you know Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, and Thief, huh? And Thief's a rare move on you."

After helping Neptune recover, Brendan had released their new companion to examine and tend to. Zigzagoon took to its new life gamely, with only a sheepish and not at all repentant grin on its face. "And you're a boy. Huh."

He bit his lip, thinking on possible names for his new companion. "You need a name."

Zigzagoon looked at him curiously, although his eyes occasionally slid over to the Pokedex or the pocket watch.

"So, you're a good actor, and a thief…" Brendan mused. Then it hit him. Really, it was the only name that fit. "I think I'll call you Robin."

Zigzagoon looked at him now with some surprise. Brendan elaborated. "Robin is the name of a thief who had a good heart. I think you do, too."

The newly named Robin bobbed his head up and down, and then looked around.

Brendan looked around too, and groaned upon realizing that he had lost sight of the route. Then he groaned again, louder this time, when he remembered that he had neither map nor compass. He looked at Robin. "Could you lead us out of here?"

Robin nodded, then set off in his odd, zigzagging gait through the bushes.

* * *

When they got back to the main route, Brendan was relieved. Growing up in the city, he hadn't done much of anything in the way of wilderness survival, although he had taken the course required of all trainers. As such, he was uncomfortable in the forest.

Their respite didn't last long, as another trainer quickly engaged him for a battle.

Brendan looked down at his new pokemon, and nodded. "All right, let's do this."

The trainer grinned. "I'm Jonny, and I choose Poochyena!" He threw a pokeball, releasing a light that solidified into the now-familiar canine pokemon.

"I'm Brendan. Alright, Robin, let's go!" At Brendan's command, the Normal type slipped forward, planting himself in front of his trainer.

The two pokemon stood facing each other, waiting for their trainer's commands. Jonny acted first. "Howl, then Tackle!"

At his words, the Poochyena released a piercing howl, then began charging towards Robin with the familiar aura around it.

"Jump, then Tackle!" Brendan commanded. Robin responded, jumping into the air to avoid Poochyena's attack, then coming down in a Tackle from above. The move scored an almost direct hit on Poochyena, and both pokemon went sprawling before recovering.

"Tackle!" Jonny shouted, catching Brendan, who had been watching Robin with worry, off guard. "No!" He shouted. The attack struck, both brutally and directly, sending the Zigzagoon sprawling. "Zag!"

"Robin, get up, and use Tail Whip!" Brendan ordered. Robin immediately scrambled to his feet, then twisted his tail in the move, causing Poochyena to lull slightly in its guard. "Now, Tackle!" Brendan followed up.

Robin sped towards Poochyena, while Jonny reacted to the tactic. "Dodge it!"

Poochyena moved to the side, but now the uncontrollable habit of zigzagging that was common to all of Robin's species interfered, causing Robin to veer from his original path right into the Poochyena, scoring a direct hit.

Poochyena went sliding away before stopping, sprawled on the ground. "Keep using Tail Whip until he gets up, Robin!" Brendan commanded. He was nervous. The two pokemon were even, and this was Robin's first battle as a trainer's pokemon.

"Poochyena! Use Howl until you can get up!" Jonny countered. He saw that the Zigzagoon was strong, and this trainer was good. Both pokemon responded to their trainer's commands, and when Poochyena rose, it growled at Robin threateningly.

"Tackle!" Both trainers commanded simultaneously. Poochyena and Robin rocketed forward, charging into each other at full speed. SLAM. A cloud of dust was sent pluming over the battlefield.

"Robin!"

"Poochyena!"

Both trainers watched on edge as the dust slowly settled. Then they stared at the results. Poochyena was on the ground, KO'd by the clash, while Robin was curled up on himself, panting in exhaustion.

"Return," Jonny said, calling his pokemon back. Then he pulled out another pokeball, and grinned. "Alright! Now for round two! Go, Taillow!"

The light from the pokeball solidified into a flying bird pokemon, which announced its presence. "Taillow!"

Brendan winced, and pulled out Robin's pokeball. Robin was injured badly from his fight with Poochyena, and that Taillow would defeat him easily. But as he made to return his pokemon, Robin dodged the beam, turning to grin mischievously before turning back to face Taillow.

"Robin! You're injured!" Brendan shouted. But Robin just ignored him, staring at the Taillow. Then Brendan noticed he wasn't staring at the Taillow itself, but at the bag hooked to one of its talons. "Oh, no," he muttered. He winced, and decided he'd make the best of it.

"Taillow, use Peck!" Jonny ordered, as Taillow's beak began to glow with power. Taillow flew down from the sky, charging towards Robin.

"Robin, counter with Thief!" Brendan ordered. If Robin got what he wanted, then maybe he'd be able to call him back before he was defeated.

As the Taillow flew down, Robin was enveloped in a purple aura as he crouched. When Taillow was within a foot of him, he sprang, meeting Taillow in a clash that threw up dust once more.

When the dust settled, Brendan sagged. Taillow was still flying, even if it looked rather bruised, and Robin was down, swirls in its eyes. Then Brendan noticed the bag on Taillow's talons. It was open, and empty.

As Brendan returned Robin to his pokeball, he had to purse his lips to keep from grinning. Whatever had been in that bag, Robin had gotten it. He pulled out Neptune's pokeball, and expanded it. "Alright, Neptune, let's finish this!"

The light burst from the pokeball, and solidified into the Mudkip as Brendan caught his pokeball. Neptune turned and faced Taillow, who had flown back up out of range of physical attacks. That was alright. Neptune didn't need to get up close.

"Water Gun!" Brendan commanded. Neptune acted instantly, firing jets of compressed water at his flying foe.

"Dodge it!" Jonny shouted. The Flying type proceeded to dodge Neptune's attack, and all of his subsequent shots.

Brendan grit his teeth. It took too long for Neptune's long range attacks to reach Taillow, and he couldn't reach it physically. He wracked his brain for something he could do.

As it happened, Jonny took it into his own hands. "Taillow! Use Focus Energy, then Peck!"

Taillow responded, as a swirl of orange energy spun out then into it, before its beak began to glow once more.

"Shit!" Brendan cursed. Focus Energy was a dangerous move. If Jonny's plan worked, Taillow would plow straight through Neptune's defenses. As the Flying type rocketed towards Neptune, it hit Brendan.

He watched Taillow, waiting until it was to the point where it couldn't veer off. Then he gave his command. "Neptune, Water Gun!"

The little Water type obeyed, opening his mouth and blasting the stream of compressed water once more. Jonny's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, but it was too late. Taillow flew right into the attack, taking every ounce of force that Neptune could put out. That, combined with Neptune's strength and the hit it had taken from Robin, was too much.

Taillow was sent flying back, before landing on its side, defeated. "No!" Jonny yelled, dropping to his knees in defeat. Brendan sighed in relief, returning Neptune to his pokeball. "Good job on that one, buddy. Take a break. You earned it."

Jonny was still bent over his Taillow, so Brendan moved on.

* * *

He found a pair of trees with berries on them, and fortunately, he recognized him. He picket two of the Oran berries, and two of the Pecha berries. "These will be useful," Brendan remarked.

All of a sudden he remembered that Robin had stolen something from that Taillow. Brendan released his two pokemon, holding the Oran berries. As he looked at the two, he was surprised to see that there was already an Oran berry in Robin's mouth. Brendan blinked, looked down to see that he still had both Oran berries, then thought about it. ' _Aha!'_

"Robin?" Brendan asked. "Is that what that Taillow had?"

Somehow, the brown pokemon managed to grin mischievously, even while he was chewing the Oran berry. Neptune happily accepted his own, munching on it, as both looked much better.

Looking at the two of them, one eating his stolen loot, the other eating what was given to him, Brendan suddenly felt something bubble up from inside of him.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

* * *

"Brendan? Is that you?"

Brendan froze. He could see Petalburg City in the distance, and he was looking forward to being done with this route. There had only been one more trainer, a girl, and he was thankful for that, because it meant that Robin and Neptune didn't have to fight anymore, despite both doing well in that battle. But he recognized that voice.

He turned. There was May, with her own backpack, smiling brightly at him. Before he could turn and run as fast as he could, she had reached him.

"You changed your mind about coming! That's great!" She beamed at him.

Brendan opened his mouth to say that no, not really, but the smile she gave him made him stop, and change what he was saying. "We- yeah. I did."

He smiled tightly at her. Then May gasped, put her hand up to her mouth, and pointed over his shoulder. "Look!"

Brendan spun, and his jaw dropped open. Flying across the sky past the setting sun, was an enormous group of pokemon. He quickly pulled his Pokedex out and scanned them. "Beautifly" it named them. He understood why.

"Wow," he uttered.

"Yeah," she agreed, and he blinked. She had walked up to stand right next to him, and he noticed that their fingers were brushing each others. "The Beautifly are migrating."

Brendan was quiet, absorbed by the spectacle before them.

When the pokemon were out of sight, May turned, and smiled at him. "Isn't it great? We got to see something like that… the two of us."

Brendan froze at her words, but she continued, clapping her hands together. "Hey, I've got to do a delivery for my dad, but how about we meet in Rustboro City?"

Before he thought of what he was doing, Brendan nodded, not sure as to what he was agreeing to. Immediately she hugged him, and turned, running towards Petalburg, turning back once to say, "see you there!"

Brendan stood there for a long moment before he realized what he had done. ' _I was just going to Petalburg.'_ He shook his head. ' _I'm still doing that. Nothing's changed.'_

He continued on towards the city, not realizing or accepting that the words were weak in his mind.

* * *

 **Did you guess what it was? Well, you'll find out next chapter. And more deviation from canon! Ah well, it's game canon, and that's the loosest canon of the Pokemon universe, despite the fact that the anime canon's used the most… My apologies to any anime canon fans. But I'll wait to get into that. See you next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, first off, I am so, so sorry this took so long. I was most of the way through this chapter when I abruptly lost inspiration. That, combined with a busy life, delayed updates to now. I'd like to take credit for getting this out, but I have to thank a reader who PMed me and begged me to continue. I'd like you all to know that I do know where I'm taking this, I was just stuck in a rut regarding this particular point, so expect a sooner update next time.**

 **rylek196: The anime used to be good. It had problems, but it was good. It started going downhill at the end of Sinnoh, and it's been dropping like a rock since then. At most, I'm disappointed in it, but that's the most I'll say on the subject.**

* * *

 _Hi, mom._

 _I'm in Petalburg right now, and I caught a new pokemon. He's a Zigzagoon, and I nicknamed him Robin. I'm going to look around to see if they have any bookstores here._

 _Love,_

 _Brendan_

Brendan closed his Pokedex on the menu showing his finances. It was one of the good things about being a trainer, he decided. Having a bank account where all the money he won was sent automatically was nice.

Brendan rose, and pocketed the Pokedex. He had been eating breakfast in the cafeteria the Center had, and now he took his tray and put it away before grabbing his backpack and going outside. It was a good day again. He couldn't help but smile. The weather here was much warmer than Johto.

Brendan turned, and looked around Petalburg City. He had been tired when he had arrived last night, so he didn't see that much. Now he looked, and saw that it was a small city. He would judge it to be a bit larger than Littleroot Town, and it had no bookstore, something he had somehow gathered the courage to ask Nurse Joy about. But she had mentioned rather unhelpfully that there was one in Rustboro City, just past Petalburg Woods.

He spent the next hour wandering around the city, before he noticed a boy a year or two younger than him sitting on a bench at the side of the road.

Knowing what it was to be lonely without anyone noticing, Brendan hesitantly moved up to him. He saw the frown on the boy's face, and unshed tears twinkling in his eyes.

"Hey, kid," Brendan called, then inwardly smacked himself. That was not a way to win over people.

But the boy just looked up, blinking back the tears. "Hello," he said, before looking down at his feet.

Brendan frowned, and took another look at the boy. He had green hair, which was uncommon, and wore a lavender shirt with tan pants. His eyes were brown, and he was pale, a paleness from seeing little of the sun. Brendan also noticed a certain… fragility in the boy's appearance.

"What's wrong?" Brendan asked.

The boy looked up, and wiped the tears off. "I'm leaving to go to Verdanturf Town to my aunt and uncle. Mom and dad think the air there will help with my health."

"Don't want to leave home?" Brendan guessed.

But the boy shook his head. "It's not that. I wanted to get a pokemon before I left, and because there's a Gym Leader to help with new trainers, Nurse Joy doesn't hand out pokemon."

Brendan nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach telling him where this was going.

"But the Gym Leader's not here," the boy continued, fresh tears welling up in his eyes, "and I have to leave after noon today."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Brendan said.

The boy drew in a shuddering breath, then slowly rose. "Thank you for talking to me, but I should probably go home and pack." He turned and started walking away.

Brendan was quiet, feeling the guilt rise up in his chest. Now, that guilt was illogical, and it was for something he had no control over, due to the fact that his father had decided to go to Littleroot on the spur of the moment. But that guilt made him do something he would never regret.

"Hey, kid! Stop!" … Well, as he had to interact with a stranger, he did at first.

The boy turned, and looked back at him. "Yes?"

Brendan took a deep breath, then gave a confident grin that he didn't feel. At all. "Listen, I'm a pretty experienced trainer, so why don't I help you catch yourself a pokemon?"

The boy's eyes widened, and he took a shocked inhalation of breath. "Really?"

Brendan nodded. "Yeah. So, how about it?"

Before Brendan could make another move, the boy rushed up and hugged him, squeezing him tightly. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

After a moment, Brendan extricated himself from the boy's grasp, then grinned again. "So, what's the name of the kid I'm making into a trainer?"

The boy blushed, and smiled. "I'm Wally."

Brendan grinned encouragingly, wondering if he would win an award for being such a good actor, as he was a bundle of nerves inside. "Nice to meet you, Wally. I'm Brendan. Now," he said as he turned towards the east, "let's go get you a pokemon."

Wally looked at the long grass at the edge of Route 102 with an unsure air. "Are you sure it'll be ok?"

Brendan kept the confident grin on his face, remembering reading that confidence was contagious. He hoped so. His face hurt. "Absolutely. Don't worry, if anything unusual happens, I'll be right beside you. Now," and his face became more brisk, "here's a pokeball. You'll be using this to catch your pokemon."

Wally nodded, taking the device from Brendan. "But the Trainer School said that it had to be weakened, first."

Brendan gestured to Robin, who was standing beside them. "And that's why you'll be borrowing Robin for this. He'll follow your commands to weaken the pokemon you're catching."

Wally nodded again, then licked his lips. "And I go into the longer grass to look for a pokemon?"

"That's right," Brendan confirmed. "Now, let's get started."

* * *

The three of them worked their way into the grass, walking through until Wally suddenly stumbled back as a form rose from the grass.

"What is it?!" Wally cried.

"It" was a white pokemon with green coating over its head, and a red spike protruding from its forehead. It floated slightly above the ground, and stared at Wally expectantly.

Brendan pulled out his Pokedex and examined the pokemon. "It's a Ralts. It's a Psychic type, and very rare, so definitely go for it."

Wally slowly rose from where he had been crouched from his stumble, and looked down at Robin. "O-ok, Robin. Um, Tackle!"

The Normal type, whom Brendan had briefed on the situation on the way, responded quickly, rushing towards the Ralts, and colliding with it head on before the Psychic type could react.

Ralts was immediately thrown backwards with a cry of pain, and it went skidding for a few feet, increasing the damage, where it lay prone. After a few moments, it slowly rose, and a green aura surrounded it, before it released the energy in a burst that hit Robin before the Normal type could dodge.

Robin was sent skidding backwards, but he retained his feet, and Brendan saw the slight chill to his fur.

"Be careful, Wally. That was Hidden Power, and it looks like it has an Ice type version," Brendan called, carefully keeping his voice calm.

Wally nodded, not taking his eyes from Ralts. The green and white pokemon was bruised and scraped all along its body. The single attack from the Zigzagoon had done massive damage to it. "Ok, Robin. Um, come back!"

At Wally's command, Robin turned and returned to Brendan, before turning back to watch.

Wally expanded the pokeball before pulling his arm back, and throwing. It wasn't a strong throw, as Wally's physical strength left much to be desired, but it got the job done.

The pokeball arced upwards, and then downwards, smacking right into the Ralts before opening up, and pulling it in in a flash of red light.

The pokeball, landed, and immediately began shaking. Both youths stared at it as it shook one, two, three… Ding!

Wally stood there for a long moment, then sagged to his knees, staring at the pokeball.

Brendan walked over, and picked the pokeball up before offering it to the boy. Wally slowly took it, and turned it over in his hands, staring down at the red and white surface.

"Good job," Brendan told him.

"I-I did it. I caught a pokemon." Wally said numbly.

"Yeah, you did. Now, how about we get our pokemon healed up? They could use it," Brendan suggested, smiling a genuine smile at the younger boy.

Wally slowly rose, still clutching his pokeball. "Ok."

* * *

"Your pokemon are all ok and your registration is complete," the nurse told them, directing her last words at Wally as she returned Ralts' pokeball to him. "Be safe while travelling."

The two youths walked out of the center, then Wally turned to see a woman that Brendan noticed had green hair somewhat darker than Wally's waving. "Your mom?" He asked.

Wally nodded, his face falling a bit. "I think it's time for me to go," he replied.

Brendan saw his face fall, but his curiosity rose from its place in his mind. "Where did you say you were going again?"

"Verdanturf Town," the younger boy replied. Then he blinked, and turned to Brendan. "Brendan, you're travelling through Hoenn, right?"

Brendan was about to reply in the negative when he saw the look in the boy's eyes. "Yeah, I am."

Wally nodded, some excitement returning to him. "Well, when you reach Verdanturf Town, could you come see me? I want to battle you to see how I've grown."

Brendan saw the hope in Wally's eyes, and knew his answer before he even spoke it. That false confident grin sprang up on his face as he replied, "well, you'd better be ready, because I won't hold back. I'll expect an awesome battle from you, alright?"

Wally's face brightened, and he smiled. "I will!" Then he turned and saw his mother again, and began walking towards her, before turning back to wave. "Bye, Brendan. See you in Verdanturf Town."

After Wally had gone out of sight the grin had fallen from Brendan's face. He slowly walked back into the Center to consult the map on the wall. There. Rustboro City was the next one, but notes on the map said it'd be an overnight trip at best. Then he looked for Verdanturf Town.

Brendan choked as he saw how far it was. It would take weeks, or months to get there! Then he shook his head, and turned away. Forget Verdanturf. He wasn't travelling across Hoenn, so there was no need to worry. He would keep his promise to May, though. At least, there was a bookstore in Rustboro.

Brendan purchased food for both him and his pokemon at the mart, and bought a pack of matches. He'd have to look for firewood on his own.

He had been about to leave the city when he heard a commotion at the other end. He turned, and paled as he saw his father walking up towards the gym.

Norman was a tall man, with black hair and gray eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a red short-sleeved jacket over it, as well as a pair of blue jeans and shoes to finish it off.

Brendan watched as a young trainer sitting by the gym stood up and walked over to Norman. He couldn't hear what the girl was saying, but he heard his father's reply loud and clear.

"You're still a young trainer, Eva. Go out and get three or four badges, then come to challenge me."

The girl sagged slightly, and Norman reached out and ruffled her hair. "It's alright, Eva. The closest gym is in Rustboro City. I'm sure you'll get through the gyms soon."

The girl brightened, and now Brendan could hear her. "Thanks, Norman! I'll go pack!"

Brendan watched as the girl ran out of sight, towards the residential area, and saw Norman turn and walk into the gym.

Brendan turned and ran as fast as he could. He kept running until he hit the beach on Route 104, where he collapsed to his knees at the edge of the water. A distant part of his mind noticed he was hyperventilating, but that was far from his thoughts.

' _She's just some kid! Just some kid and he gives more attention to her than he has to me in years! Does he even care that I'm gone?'_

Brendan stayed there for many minutes before finally rising. ' _I need to get moving. I'll need as much of a start as I can get into the Petalburg Woods.'_

There were a few trainers on the way to the forest, but Neptune and Robin took care of them easily.

There was one boy, a real rich kid, that caused some trouble, but it wasn't that hard.

After fighting his way through, and seeing a Wingull for the first time, Brendan looked up at the foreboding trees that parted in the middle of the road. It was a large forest, but according to the map, there was a path straight through. He licked his lips, and forged onwards.

* * *

The Petalburg Woods loomed ominous around Brendan as he walked through. It was nice, he supposed, but he did notice litter all over the ground. From that litter, Brendan discovered and took two pokeballs, a potion, and an antidote.

He did encounter a Bug type enthusiast, and battled his set of Wurmples, but he didn't see anyone else. Well, any other human at least.

Brendan observed and added to his Pokedex a Cascoon, a Silcoon, and a Slakoth over the course of the day. He considered catching the Slakoth, but negated that. He wouldn't become a copy of his father.

As the sun began to set, something caught his eye. It was fluttering in a tree. Brendan slowly walked over to it, where he could see it better. It was a purple pokemon, with green wings. He pulled out his Pokedex.

"Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokemon. When Dustox flaps its wings, a fine dust is scattered all over. This dust is actually a powerful poison that will even make a pro wrestler sick. This pokemon searches for food using its antennae like radar."

"Huh," Brendan mused as he put the Pokedex away, "sounds kind of like a Butterfree." As he thought that, he looked down at Neptune and Robin, who were roaming around in the grass. Neptune simply enjoyed the exercise, while Robin was looking for anything he could find, which Brendan knew by now was quite a bit. He had already had to take the several berries and the Great Ball (He was quite surprised when he had seen it, and had actually needed to identify it with his Pokedex's item ID function) and put them in his backpack, which was growing full.

' _When we get to Rustboro, I'm going to get him a bag.'_

Brendan shook his head, then looked back up at the Dustox. One of the few pokemon he had never been shy about wanting was Butterfree, and here was something quite close to it. A grin flashed on his face.

"Neptune, Water Gun!"

His starter looked at the pokemon Brendan was pointing at, and obeyed, opening his mouth to release a torrent of water. The Dustox was sent tumbling from the air with a cry of "Dust!"

It fell tumbling from the tree, before righting itself just a foot from the ground. It turned, spreading its wings, and twisting the wind into a powerful Gust attack.

Neptune was sent skidding back, scraping himself on the ground before he slowly rose. Brendan winced, before straightening, and pointing at the Poison Moth.

"Robin, Thief!" He called. He figured that using Thief would cause damage while getting rid of any item that Dustox had.

"Zag!" Robin leapt from where he had been in the grass, slamming into the bug type, and sending it flying, twisting, and rolling to the ground. Brendan pulled the pokeball out, and threw. It hit the Dustox, opening and absorbing the pokemon in a red light, before closing and falling to the ground. The pokeball shook… once… twice… **crack**!

The pokeball shattered as the Dustox rose up out, flapping its wings even faster than before. It opened its mouth, and purple needles shot out.

"Dodge it!" Brendan screamed, it was Poison Sting! Poison attacks were always deadly in the wild.

He needn't have worried. Both Neptune and Robin leapt to the side, dodging the attack, and rolling into the grass. The attack splashed harmlessly off the ground, dissipating into the air as it did so.

Brendan frowned, looking at Dustox. It was injured, clearly, but he would have to injure it more if he wanted to catch the bug type.

"Neptune, Robin, Tackle!" He called. The two pokemon each came from one side of the bug type, and lunged as it began to rise. Neither missed. WHUMP!

The Dustox fell from between them, slowly fluttering to the ground, where it struggled to rise. Brendan pulled another pokeball out of his pocket. He pulled back, and threw. It hit the Poison Moth, right on the head, and opened up, pulling it in. The pokeball shook... and shook… **ding**!

Brendan stared at the pokeball for several moments, before finally picking it up. "I… did it." He said numbly.

* * *

A while later, after finding some firewood, starting a fire, and getting ready for the night, Brendan mused on his new capture. Dustox had been highly disobedient, and generally ignored her trainer, much to his anguish. Even now, she slept on top of the tree by his hastily made campsite, facing away from him.

He sighed, before finishing the canned ravioli he had bought as food. Neptune and Robin had already finished, and had curled up to sleep, Robin by the fire, and Neptune snuggling into Brendan's side. He leaned back, pulling the sleeping bag up, and fell asleep.

He slept fitfully that night, tormented by dreams of his brokenhearted mother.

* * *

 **And I must say I'm surprised nobody even tried to guess what the new plot point is. Oh, well. Still, Brendan is back, we see more of him as a character, and we are beginning to take a left turn from canon. See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, it came out a bit later than I intended, but I've got another chapter out. Here's some time to reply to the reviews I've had.**

 **rylek196: Romance may appear, but it'll be in short bursts, and accurate for their ages. The main protagonist is 12, after all, and I don't care what you say, but romance isn't something that'll realistically be happening with a pair of children. As for Norman, first, remember, we're seeing him from Brendan's POV. Norman isn't a bad person, but he's also not one who focuses on his family. That has consequences for the future. He is neglectful, but not despicable. If he'd been there, he would've helped Wally, but he wasn't.**

 **mjstimpson: Exactly. I actually thought about a reasonable end to Ash's saga. It would've been a cliffhanger, with him winning the Sinnoh League and preparing to challenge the Elite Four. Then it would've cut to the Black and White series, with a brand new protagonist. Throughout the series, there'd be hints of what happened to Ash, people talking about someone defeating Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian. Then, Cynthia would be introduced, mentioning that since the new champion beat her, she decided to travel.**

 _Hi, mom._

 _I'm in the Petalburg Woods right now, so this letter will probably take a while to get to you. I met a kid named Wally yesterday, and helped him catch his first pokemon. I also caught a Dustox, but she doesn't like me very much. She's been disobedient the whole time. Is it my fault? Am I a bad trainer? I'm going to Rustboro City, they have a bookstore there._

 _Love,_

 _Brendan_

Brendan folded the letter and put in his pack. He'd mail it when he got to Rustboro. He slowly stood up, and looked around the campsite. He had packed everything up, and returned Dustox. Disobedient as she was, he wouldn't let her wander around like he did with Neptune and Robin.

Despite his sour attitude, the day was bright enough, as pokemon wandered to and fro. Looking around, Brendan could see that the trees were far more tropical than in Johto, bright green on this morning. _'It really is beautiful out here.'_

An hour later, he had to pause to stretch his back out. Unused to sleeping in the open as he was, Brendan had neglected to clear out the area he was sleeping of protrusions. As such, he was sore all over.

As he sat, Brendan looked over the Pokedex. He had seen and added a mushroom pokemon called Shroomish to it, and it honestly looked pretty interesting. He started as something bumped his leg, causing him to look down.

It was Robin, who had once again found something. Brendan held out his hand, and felt the now familiar weight of a potion hit it. He pocketed it, and Robin was off again. Neptune was walking next to Brendan as they continued on, looking around at their surroundings.

Suddenly, as they turned along the path, they stopped. Brendan blinked at the brown-haired, middle-aged man in a white lab coat standing a few feet away, looking around.

"Not a single one," he murmured, then, seeing Brendan, he lit up, and started walking towards him. "Hi! Have you seen any Shroomish?" the man asked.

Brendan blinked. "Shroomish? Why?"

"I really love that Pokemon," the man replied.

Brendan, wanting to get out of this conversation as fast as possible, prepared to tell the odd man where he had seen the Shroomish, when he saw movement behind the man.

As Brendan watched, a man wearing a black bandanna with a white A, a blue and white striped t-shirt, ripped jeans with striped socks and large shoes walked into the clearing.

Seeing the older man, he pointed. "I've been waiting outside of the Petalburg Woods for hours! But you just had to stay in here for so long, so I came in after you!"

Angrily, the man began striding forward. "You! Devon researcher! Give me those goods!"

"Aiiee!" The researcher scrambled back, hiding behind Brendan. "You're a trainer, right? Please, don't let him take my goods!"

The man growled, pulling a Pokeball off of his belt. "If you don't get out of my way, kid, I'll go through you."

Brendan felt himself shaking. _'I don't want to get in the middle of this. I don't want to get hurt.'_ Then he looked down, and saw Neptune striding forward in between Brendan and the man.

"MudKIP!" the pokemon declared, stomping his foot.

Seeing it, Brendan froze. _'Neptune- he'll get hurt, he'll-'_

The man sneered. "So that's how it'll be, huh? Fine! Shred 'em, Poochyena!"

The Pokeball opened, releasing the now-familiar form of the canine pokemon. Almost immediately, both Neptune and Poochyena leapt at each other, using Tackle simultaneously.

"Bite!" the man snarled. His pokemon complied, biting down on Neptune's tail.

"KIIIIP!" Neptune's cry of pain snapped Brendan back to his senses. "Water Gun! Break his grasp!"

Neptune responded, blasting the Poochyena back, crying in pain as his tail tore from the force. "Hold on, Neptune! Hit him with Mud Slap!" Brendan commanded.

Neptune obeyed, managing half of the attack before freezing up in pain. The mud hit, but Poochyena managed to get back up.

The man laughed. "Heh, looks like your little fish ain't gonna be doing any thing. Poochyena, Dark Pulse!"

The canine began to charge with a black and purple energy, before Brendan snarled. "Robin! Headbutt!"

The beforehand unnoticed Normal type burst out of the grass, ramming Poochyena at high speeds. The shock of being hit caused Poochyena to lose control of the attack.

~BAAUM~

The resulting explosion sent both Robin and Poochyena flying. Robin bounced a few times on the grass, skidding to a stop before slowly getting up. Poochyena wasn't so lucky, slamming into a tree before falling to the ground, leaving a dent in the wood.

"Poochyena, no!" The man snarled. After returning the Dark type, he turned. "I'll let you off easy this time, but we're after something in Rustboro, too." With that threat, he turned and ran into the woods.

Brendan knelt by Neptune, looking at his pokemon's injury. "I have a portable healing device," the researcher spoke up, pulling out a small machine. "Here, place your pokemon in this."

Brendan complied, and then released his pokemon to see them both healed, with Neptune's tail restored. "Thanks. Who was that guy?"

The researcher frowned. "I don't know. But he said he was after something in Rustboro-" he gasped. "I have to warn the company!"

"What about the police?" Brendan asked. The researcher frowned at him. "You're not from Hoenn, are you?"

"That obvious?" Brendan winced. The researcher shrugged. "When you ask about police, yes. You see, the police force was decimated by battles against Team Rocket and requests for aid from Kanto and Johto. As of now, there are only police in major cities. The Gym Leaders and Elite Four have had to step up in order to maintain order, but they're only a small number. So, we make do, and the League instated bounty hunters, trainers who are contracted to help deal with criminal activity. Speaking of," he pulled out a device and pressed a few buttons, "I'm wiring a transfer to your account."

Brendan shook his head. "I wasn't really intending to help," he admitted. The researcher countered, "But you did, and it's company policy to reward trainers who assist them."

The researcher put the device back in his pocket, and turned, walking back the way he came.

Brendan sighed, and began walking again. _'I had no idea journeying was so dangerous. I'm going back home after I get to Rustboro City. I can't let Neptune and Robin get hurt like that again.'_

He kept on walking, ignoring wild pokemon, and only paying partial attention to the one trainer he battled. As he rounded a bend in the path, Brendan noticed sunlight beginning to stream through the trees. Putting an extra boost in his pace, Brendan move forward, towards the route that would lead him to Rustboro City. Away from the terrible event that still terrified him.

* * *

As he walked away, he didn't notice someone emerge from the tree line behind him. It was a tan woman with similar clothes to the attacking man from before. "So, that's the one?" She mused. "Surprising power levels. Interesting. I'll continue to monitor the situation." Her eyes caught the light, and red gleamed.

* * *

"A double battle?" Brendan echoed doubtfully.

The two little girls in front of him nodded. "Yeah! Instead of sending one pokemon at a time out-" "We send two, which means the battle-" "Goes twice as fast!"

Brendan blinked as the twins completed each other's sentences. He had been paying half attention to the battles, until the two of them challenged him. He frowned.

"You're sure?" He asked, hoping he could find a way out of this.

"Yeah!" The two girls replied in stereo.

He sighed. "Alright. Neptune, Robin, let's go!"

The two girls squealed. "Ok, Lotad-" "Seedot-" "Go!" they declared, revealing the blue pokemon with a leaf on its head, and the pokemon shaped like an acorn.

Brendan grimaced. Both of them were grass types, which meant Neptune would be at a disadvantage. So he'd be stuck using Tackle, and moves in odd ways. He couldn't help it. He started to grin at the challenge. "Neptune, Growl! Robin, Tackle!"

His pokemon responded, Neptune releasing a growl that caused Lotad and Seedot to flinch, and Robin rushing forwards, slamming into Lotad and sending it sprawling.

"Lotad, get in the water!" "Seedot, Rapid Spin!"

The dual-type turned to the edge of the bridge they were on, and promptly jumped over the edge into the water. The acorn sat down, and began spinning, until it looked like a top. Then it began rushing towards Robin.

"Headbutt, Robin! Neptune, Water Gun on Seedot!" Brendan commanded. The Water Gun simply sprayed everywhere upon hitting the spinning pokemon, while Robin rushed forwards. On contact, both Seedot and Robin were sent back, with Seedot tripping back when it hit a space between planks. Robin was about to engage again when- "MUD!"

Unnoticed by the three of them, Lotad had swum around to the other side of the bridge, and come up performing an Astonish on Neptune. As Brendan and Robin spun towards Lotad, the sisters took advantage of their distraction.

"Rapid Spin!" "ZAAAAAG!"

Seedot scrambled back up and spun towards Robin, hitting him right in the side. As Brendan watched both his pokemon reel, a plan began to build in his mind. "Robin, Neptune, back to back!"

The two obeyed, spinning around so their tails were touching, watching each end of the bridge. Brendan's mind raced as he put the finishing touches on his plan. "Alright. Neptune, throw a Mud Slap all around the bridge. Robin, keep an eye on the water, and Headbutt Lotad if it ever comes in range. Go!"

The two immediately switched sides. Neptune began regurgitating mud from his mouth, flinging it around until it covered the bridge. Robin's eyes scanned the water, both in front of him and between the planks.

"Seedot, Rapid Spin!" "Lotad, Bullet Seed!" The sisters commanded their pokemon to attack again. Seedot began spinning again, rushing forwards, then abruptly, it started sliding.

"Yes!" Brendan shouted. The mud had slickened the bridge, reducing the friction to the point where Seedot was unable to control its movements. "Now, double team it, Tackle!"

Robin immediately left his post, jumping over Neptune to hit Seedot, while Neptune began sliding towards it on the mud, using his tail to control his direction. The two hits scored directly, sending Seedot spinning into the lake.

"Seedot!" The twins yelled, before Seedot resurfaced, floating unconsciously. "Return." As the girl returned her pokemon, her sister turned. "Lotad, Bullet Seed!"

The Lotad had been distracted by Neptune and Robin's abrupt move away from the side, but now it popped up on the bridge, and began spraying it with seeds.

Both Robin and Neptune fell back under the onslaught, but Brendan caught their attention after moving out of the way himself. "Neptune, give Robin a boost!"

They responded, Robin jumping onto Neptune, while Neptune bucked at the right moment to give Robin a second jump. "Robin, Headbutt!"

Robin arced through the sky, slamming into Lotad, causing it to collapse. Robin scrambled out of the resulting pile, trotting over to Brendan, joining Neptune as he did so.

"Lotad, return," the girl said, sighing as she looked at her sister. "Now we have to-" "Train more so we can-" "Beat you next time!" the two finished in stereo, pointing at him.

"Uh, ok. Good job," Brendan directed these words to his pokemon, "Return." As he recalled them, he turned, and continued on the bridge, looking ahead to the city he could see in the distance.

* * *

Rustboro City seemed to be a uniformly brown, with splashes of color from flower boxes in window sills and of course, the mart and pokecenter. As he entered, Brendan looked around, noting the tall buildings, and feeling surprised at how much fewer buildings there were in Rustboro than in Goldenrod and Olivine, back in Johto. Seeing the center, he turned that way, and began walking towards it, stepping aside to avoid running into anyone on his way.

As the doors opened up, Brendan looked around, before heading to the desk. "Ah, hello? Could I get my pokemon healed please?"

The Nurse Joy turned, and smiled. "Certainly. If you'll hand them to me, I'll have them to you in an hour."

Brendan pulled the two pokeballs off of his belt, and placed them in the nurse's hands. As she turned to go through the door behind the desk, Brendan looked around at the other people in the center. As his eyes passed over the table in one of the corners, he froze, and turned back to see May sitting there, staring intently at her computer while wearing a pair of headphones. He started walking towards her.

* * *

May was deep in the midst of the latest episode of Fairy Tail when she happened to check the time, and noticed someone walking towards her out of the corner of her eye. Panicking, she closed most of the tabs, paused the episode, and closed her laptop, before pulling off her headphones and looking up to see who was approaching. "Brendan!"

Brendan blinked. May had closed her laptop extremely quickly when she had noticed him, and was currently looking at him with a guilty look. "Hi, May. What were you looking at?"

"Nothing!" May yelped, grabbing her backpack from the chair next to her and stuffing her laptop into it, grabbing the cord and yanking it out of the wall. "Nothing at all!"

"Um, ok," Brendan responded. Maybe she had a learning disability? He'd be embarrassed to admit if he had one. He sat down across from her.

"Anyway," May said, wanting to distract him from what she was doing, "you made it to Rustboro City! That's great!"

"Ah, yeah," he agreed. "So, um, have you caught any new pokemon?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yeah! I caught a Wurmple, and she evolved really quickly, so now she's a Silcoon! And I have a Taillow, too!" Then she looked at him. "What about you, Brendan?"

Brendan wasn't sure whether to smile or frown. "Well, I caught a Zigzagoon, and I also caught a Dustox. But," he paused here, "Dustox won't listen to me."

May frowned at that. "It might be really powerful. I heard dad mention that sometimes really powerful pokemon won't listen to young trainers."

Brendan sighed. "I was afraid of that." He felt his shoulders sag. He was right. It _was_ because he was a bad trainer.

Seeing his melancholy, May decided it might be a good idea to change the subject. "Come on," she said, rising from her seat, "Let's explore the city!"

Brendan fidgeted. "Well… I don't know- hey!" he cried as May grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the door.

"We're gonna explore the city!" She said, keeping a hold of his arm. "We've got time before our pokemon are ready, so let's go!"

Brendan stopped struggling as he discovered he couldn't find a way to remove May's hand without hurting her. So he conceded, following along as she dragged him through the city, pointing out landmarks such as the Devon Corporation main building. After several buildings, May squealed and pulled him into a small shop.

Blinking, Brendan saw it was filled to the brim with costumes. May had let go of his arm and was now digging through the racks excitedly. "May? What is this place?"

May turned from the rack, holding an armful of outfits. Abruptly she turned bright red, and buried her face in the fabric. "I forgot you were with me!"

Brendan opened his mouth, closed it, and did so twice more before managing to speak. "I-uh- what?" He inhaled, exhaled, and gathered his thoughts. "Um, I don't really care if you like costumes, May."

May slowly raised her head, and looked at him. "Really?" She stared at him for a moment, then turned, and pulled more costumes off the rack. "Alright! Come on! I've got some for you too!"

Brendan started backing away. "I-I didn't say I wanted to try-waa!" He was cut off as May pushed him into a dressing room and gave him some of the costumes before closing the door. He could hear a door open next to him, signaling that she had entered a room as well. He sighed, and began changing.

Exiting the room, Brendan looked at himself in a mirror. He was wearing a beige shirt with white pants, brown boots, and a tan jacket. He had pulled his hat off, showing how messy his hair was. He heard the door open, and turned. May had emerged with her hair done up in two buns, wearing a sleeveless pink shirt and green pants. The outfit was completed with a pair of sandals and a headband. Her eyes widened.

"OhmyArceus!" She squealed. "You look _just_ like Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan!" She looked down at her outfit. "I have to find a Mikasa outfit!" She rushed back into the dressing room, slamming the door behind her. Brendan returned to his dressing room, and redressed, exiting to see May hop out while pulling a shoe on. "Um, May, maybe we should get lunch?" he tried, hoping it would distract her from the costume wearing.

She blinked, then pouted slightly. "But…" she started, only to be interrupted. **Gggrrrrrrr**. They both stared at her stomach. She blushed. "Ok."

* * *

After picking up their pokemon, the pair found a burger stand, and ate as they wandered the city. May pointed out some of the landmarks while Brendan read a pamphlet he'd grabbed. Abruptly, May checked the time, and jumped.

"Oh no!" She yelled. "What is it?" Brendan asked. "I'm supposed to check the size of the Magikarp in the lake on route 104!" She turned and started running, waving as she went. "See you later, Brendan!"

"Oh." Sighing, he looked down at the pamphlet, then turned and started walking.

* * *

Entering the small bookshop, Brendan looked around. He knew he'd have to be careful about what books he got, since he'd be travelling. After looking through the selection, he bought two books, one on mythology and the other on the legend of Robin Hood.

Making his way back to the center for the night, Brendan read the first few chapters of the mythology book to Neptune and Robin, before turning into the room he had gotten. _'Tomorrow, I'll look around a bit more, then I'll head home.'_

* * *

"Make your move tomorrow. Devon Corp. is planning to hire a trainer to deliver the package, and we'll lose our chance."

"Yes, boss."

 **And that's a wrap.**

 **This chapter is to develop both Brendan and May as characters, and to actually give their friendship the development the game didn't have. It also explains the lack of police in Hoenn, and introduces a new concept: Mercenary Trainers. That'll become important for several things throughout the story. Also, Brendan writing letters to his mother will continue to be a staple of the series.**


End file.
